Who: Community members in and around Irvine; UCI students, faculty and staff

Cost: $40 annually for faculty, staff, and community members; UCI students pay $25 per year.

Size: 99 plots, 12-foot by 16-foot

Waiting list: 29 people

Information: AVCG@uci.edu

Verano Community Garden

Where: UCI; Near California Avenue and Adobe Circle

Who: UCI affiliates and community members, with priority given to graduate students.

Cost: $30 annually

Size: More than 60 plots, sizes range from 11-foot by 15-foot to 30-foot by 40-foot

Waiting list: 16 people

Information: veranogardens@yahoo.com

Tips for gardeners

• Check the location for sun and shade. About 95 percent of fruits and vegetables need at least half a day of direct sun.

•D on't use chemicals in the ground if you are going to be eating food coming out of it.

• Choose produce that you like eat.

• Be conservative on the first try and don't buy too much. The plants grow really quickly and give you a lot.

• Keep an eye out for critter bite marks on your fruits.

• Know how much water your plants need and be careful to not overwater. The bigger the plants, the deeper their roots go into the soil, the less water they require.

Source: Jamie Platt, manager of Irvine's Armstrong Garden Center

Did you know?From seed to produce: How long?

Radishes: 1-2 months

Carrots: 1-2 months

Peppers: 1-2 months

Tomatoes: 2-4 months

Watermelons: 3-6 months

IRVINE - Community garden plots left unclaimed just a couple years back now have up to 29 people clamoring for them as the waiting lists grow.

The reasons for snatching up these plots now are as diverse as the gardens, which include roses from the 19th century, yellow and round cucumbers, and multicolor beets.

Rich Dickens stood in the middle of 99 newly created plots at UC Irvine and pointed to the rectangle at the Anthill Village Community Garden that's finally his after nine months on the waiting list. The Ohio native had a hand in raising the family's tomatoes, corn, peppers, radishes and cucumbers — and loved it and missed it.

"When all the other kids were out playing football, I was in the garden," he said. "I was a weird kid, I guess."

For $40 a year to rent a 12-foot by 16-foot plot, he can now relive those childhood joys.

WHY GARDEN?

Dickens cites relaxation as his motive for gardening, as do many others.

"It's definitely kind of a meditation for people," said Melanie Nuccio, treasurer of the UCI Verano Community Garden. "There's also a gratification of growing your own food. We know what goes into making that food. That's a big thing for us."

At Irvine's Armstrong Garden Center, Manager Jamie Platt said concern about food safety is also an incentive for gardening.

"Especially now; there's that salmonella scare with the tomatoes and again with the peppers," Platt said. "People are going to be like, 'OK, that's it, I'm doing it myself.' People are fed up."

Rubio lives in an Irvine condo without a spot to plant and was introduced to community gardening by his brother.

Jane Cho, a biology graduate student and former gardener, said the lettuce in her plot was the sweetest lettuce she'd ever tasted. She'd keep an eye on her cherry tomatoes to pick them the day they're ripe, but sneaky critters also laid eyes on them too: the gophers.

"They would leave nibbles on the perfect tomato," Cho recalled. "My face would get as red as the tomato because I was so mad."

She no longer gardens, partly due to time constraints, but missed it as she reminisced on those days. The hobby, she said, took about three to five hours a week.

COMMUNITY LOVE

Cho remembers fellow gardeners sharing tips on how to scare off the gophers, such as by planting a border of basil or by sprinkling pepper.

It's this community that many treasure. The gardeners give away their bounty to each other —Rubio said he had squash that grew like weed, about five to 10 pounds a week. They also have potlucks with dishes that show off the garden's produce.

Woodbridge Community Garden President Donovan McCulloch said the group is bouncing around an idea of starting a weekend swap meet to trade produce among the gardeners. The gardeners hail from all over: Bulgaria, Russia, China, Korea, Vietnam and Italy, are among the home countries.

At UCI, gardeners range from an undergraduate student to retirees.

"When we're out here, we forget about everything, and that's the joy," said John Dalenta, who works at UCI.

His wife, Renee, is taking classes toward a certificate in ornamental horticulture and hopes to be a supplier of organic fruits and vegetables for a restaurant one day. She's the go-to gardening guru for their community.

SHORTAGE OF PLOTS

There has been an upswing in homegrown edibles: the sales in seeds and trees for herbs, vegetables and fruits have gone up about 30 percent this past year at Irvine's Armstrong Garden Center, according to Platt.

At UCI's community garden, until about two years ago it was difficult to get all the plots claimed, said President Charlene Bradley. Just this past week, the waiting list doubled to 29, perhaps the longest list ever, Bradley said.

The garden started in the 1980s and was moved this month to a campus site that was prepared with additional critter protections, such as smaller holes in fences and a 3-foot deep metal fence to deter digging rabbits.

UCI also has two gardens primarily for graduate students, including the Verano Community Garden.

Nuccio said the Verano garden, which was created for graduate students, was opened to other UCI affiliates and the community years ago because there was not enough interest among graduate students to claim all the plots. This year, the council divided up some larger plots to accommodate demand and still have 16 people waiting for a plot.

The Great Park will also have one or more community gardens, although those won't be ready for at least a year and a half, said Tom Larson, the park's agricultural specialist. A preview farm, however, will likely be ready this fall for people to learn how to grow edibles in their backyards or on a porch of a high rise, he said.

"People are desperate for plots," Nuccio said. "People have become more environmentally aware. It's definitely a movement."

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